This is an excellent work on the writings of Nat Raymer. Private Raymer was mustered in to Company C of the 4th Regiment, North Carolina State Troops (NCST), in 1861, and stayed with the regiment until the very end at the surrender at Appomattox in 1865. He later transfered from the front line troops to the regimental band, where he also acted as a litter carrier and hospital aid during the battles.

Nat Raymer would periodically write long letters to the newspapers in North Carolina about life in the regiment. Some of the letters were funny, some were sad, and all are interesting. They reveal some of the everyday life in the Army of Northern Virginia, especially in George B. Anderson's Brigade, then in Stephen D. Ramseur's Brigade, then William Cox's Brigade of the 2nd NCST, the 14th NCST and the 30th NCST.

Sometimes, he would list the wounded and dead from the battles, with accounts of how or where they were wounded. Other times he would tell tales of life in the camp, how they lived, and what they ate (or didn't eat). In any case, this is a good resource of the human interst stories of the Civil War, and a fine addition to the literature of this part of American History. ( )